A Trail of Courage and Paper
by OrangeSunset1701
Summary: On the way back to the Ponderosa, Little Joe and Adam are captured by Shoshone Indians. It's up to Rachel Carter, an outdoorsy, I-hate-dresses kind of girl to save them.
1. Chapter 1

It was a beautiful day in Virginia City. Not a single cloud dotted the bluer- than-blue sky. The sun shone down, making the city sparkle, and it boosted the cheery aroma that seemed to be a tangible thing in the air. It seemed as though nothing could ruin this day.

That's what Little Joe Cartwright was thinking as he rode into town on his black and white pinto, Cochise. Behind him, his brother's chestnut mare, Sport, followed.

Townsfolk called a day's greeting to him as Joe made his way through town towards the bank. Once there, he dismounted Cochise and loosely tied him to the post out front. He walked into the bank, a slight spring in his step as he went up to the front desk.

"Hey, Little Joe!" called the clerk, Jonah, from behind the counter. "How're you doin'? And how's Ben?"

"Morning, Jonah." Joe said, "My father is fine, if only a bit stressed with all the new calves we have to count and brand, and all the fences that need fixing from the winter, and the new breeding stock coming in…" Joe sighed. "We've got our hands full."

"I can imagine that!" Jonah laughed. "Same story, every spring. So what can I do for you?"

Joe slid a bill from his shirt pocket and handed it to the clerk. "Check that into our account, will you?" he said. "I wish I had time to stay and chat, but I've got to go get a few things and pick up Adam."

"Oh, that's right!" Jonah said as he brought out a folder, slipped the bill into it, then put it back, writing a receipt and handing it to Joe. "He's comin' back from Frisco today, isn't he? Well, I won't keep you any longer, Little Joe. Tell your pa I said hello!"

Joe grinned and walked towards the door. "Alright, I will!" he called back over his shoulder.

Saying hello to the men and tipping his hat to the ladies, Joe managed to grab a beer at the Silver Dollar, buy a window pane from the General Store, and only be ten minutes late to pick up Adam.

Yep, and there, in front of the hotel, stood the sturdy form of his older brother, Adam Cartwright. He was engaged in a conversation with Rachel Carter, a fifteen year old girl who hated dresses. She preferred skirts and long sleeved shirts with a vest, and refused to try on any type of dress. She disliked doing inside lady-like things, and spent most of her time outside. She was an odd girl, which is why the Cartwright family liked spending time with her.

Joe led his two horses over while Adam crossed his arms. "Well, look who finally showed up." he said.

"Sorry I'm late, Adam." Joe apologized, thinking it was worth it for that cold beer. "Hello, Rachel."

"Hello, Little Joe!" Rachel grinned. "Adam told me the business in San Francisco went pretty well."

"I would hope so!" Joe returned her smile. "We really need those logging contracts to be accepted." He turned to his brother. "Pa wants to know how it went as soon as possible. And we've got a bunch of work to do back at the Ponderosa, so we need to get home."

"Suits me fine," Adam said, taking the reins for Sport and stroking the horse's neck. "It'll be good to get home. Been nice talking with you, Rachel." He gave her a warm smile. "Have a nice day."

The two men tipped their hats to the girl and mounted their steeds, riding off in the direction of the Ponderosa.

* * *

Rachel Carter watched them ride off and shook her head. _Mr. Cartwright's got some fine lookin' boys, _she smiled. Not that she really thought about that very often. They were too grown up, and she was simply too young. Now, she wouldn't admit it, but she fancied Little Joe a bit. It wasn't serious, though, and Rachel could never imagine getting married to him, so she kept it at a simple crush that would eventually fade away. She let herself enjoy her feelings while they lasted.

Rachel turned and walked down the boardwalk, hands in her skirt pockets (with the pockets being handmade). She knew everyone in town, except the new arrivals, so she called everyone by name and got a similar response.

After a bit of pointless wandering around, Rachel sauntered into the General Store and quickly located her father, Samuel Carter. "Did'ja get the supplies, Pa?" she asked, sliding along the counter up to him.

"Yep, Rachel, I did." He smiled at her.

"And are we going to get the hat that you promised me?" Rachel inquired with eyebrows raised in a pleading manner.

"Sure are, Rae." he said.

Rachel's hazel eyes sparkled. For two months she had been begging her father for a hat that she had seen in the General Store's window. He had finally given in to her pleads and told her they were going to buy it that day. "Can we get it now?"

"First we load up the supplies into the buckboard," her dad said. "Oh, and on the way home we have to stop by the Ponderosa and give Ben the money for Tramp."

Rachel perked up. "The horse money!" she exclaimed, "I completely forgot! Joe and Adam just rode out of here. Can I give the money to them, Pa? I know I'll catch up with them if I use Tramp!"

Sam Carter chuckled, knowing all too well how eager Rachel was to ride her new horse. The Cartwrights were selling him to her. They had let her have a few days to try Tramp out and make up her mind. Of course, the answer had been "Yes," so now they just needed to pay for the horse.

Sam thought for a moment, then drew the money out from his pocket, counted it, then handed it to an impatient Rachel. "You sure they _just_ left?" he asked.

"Yeah, Pa, I'm sure."

"And you've got your knife?" He would never let her handle a gun, but a knife he trusted her with.

"Yeah, Pa, I've got my knife." Rachel assured him, whipping her hunting knife out for him to see.

"Good." Sam ruffled her short, straight brown hair. "When you catch up to them, ask if you can stay at the Ponderosa 'till I come get you. I just remembered some business I have to do here, and it might take awhile."

"You bet'cha!" Rachel grinned. She loved visiting the Cartwrights. "Bye, Pa," she said, kissing his cheek. "See ya in a while! Oh, and don't forget to pick up my hat!" And with that, she bounded out the door.

Sliding her knife back into it's leather scabbard, Rachel performed a hop-skip-and-a-jump to get onto Tramp, her dark brown, almost black mare. Pulling on the reins slightly, Rachel turned him around, kicked his flanks, and galloped off.

* * *

Joe readjusted the window pane in front of him, wrapping an arm around it while using his other hand to steer Cochise. Adam rode along side him, glancing around at the familiar landscape and breathing in the hot air of the country.

After a few minutes of small talk, Adam pointed to the window and asked, "What did you do this time?"

Joe looked a bit sheepish. "Early this morning, Hoss and I got into an argument about chores. To help illustrate a point I was making, I threw a rock."

"And you broke a window." Adam finished, chuckling. "Which one?"

"Pa's." Joe thought back to that morning, remembering his pa's shouting and anger after he realised that they weren't being attacked. "He wasn't happy." he sighed. Adam's laughing stopped him. "What's so funny?" he snapped.

"Nothing," Adam smirked, trying to stop. "It's just that I can imagine Pa's face when you sailed a rock clean through his window."

Joe rolled his eyes, but couldn't avoid a weak smile starting to creep onto his face. "It could've scared the fur right off a grizzly." he admitted. He gripped the window pane harder to stop it from sliding out of his arm as they continued riding.

Cantering out from behind some rocks, they had a clear view of Bulker's Ridge, a halfway marker between Virginia City and the Ponderosa. Just as they were passing it, piercing shrieks and whoops rang out, turning Joe's blood cold. "Indians!" he spat as the sources of the screams appeared on the ridge, racing their horses down the side.

Adam and Joe kicked their horses, galloping towards the Ponderosa while drawing their pistols. The Indians gave wild shouts of glee as they let loose with their rifles. The two brothers shot back, bringing down some of the braves, but not nearly enough of them. There were about half a dozen of them (not including the ones who had been shot), all with murderous looks in their black eyes.

Joe urged Cochise to go faster, but suddenly felt pain exploding in the back of his head. His body jerked, and he slipped off his horse, hitting the ground and rolling. The window he'd been holding shattered, and the last thought Joe had before darkness consumed him was that Pa was going to tan his hide for breaking his window again.

* * *

Adam didn't even hesitate before turning Sport around and racing back to Joe's side. Dismounting quickly, he knelt by the still form of his brother and fired repeatedly at the Indians, hitting a few of the them, but not stopping them. In no time at all, they had surrounded him, jumping off their horses and pulling wicked looking knives out from their belts.

Adam fought furiously with everything he had, but cuts and bruises started to mount up, including one large _whack!_ to the back of his head. Adam collapsed beside Joe, not even finishing his last thought.

* * *

Rachel Carter let out a growl of frustration, feeling completely helpless, as she watched the Cartwright brothers and their horses being hauled away. She had arrived in time to see Adam be cut down and had quickly hidden behind some rocks before the Indians could notice her. She watched as the Indians retreated back up the ridge with their spoils, their shouts of victory echoing as they disappeared into the woods.

Rachel waited another five minutes before tentatively urging Tramp over to the spot of the ambush. She stared at the blood, glass, and bodies and fought down the rising bile in her throat. Glancing at the scuffle marks on the ground and the trail left by the Indians, she considered her options.

She could go back to Virginia City to get help to save Adam and Joe. On the other hand, she knew that they wouldn't last long if they were still alive. The Indians (Shoshone braves, she had noticed) always took scalps when they grabbed prisoners. They would probably ride until they were safe in the mountains, then kill Adam and Joe.

Rachel thought a moment, then drew her small notebook (which she always made sure was on her person) out from her vest, grabbing her pencil and beginning to write. Then she tore the paper out, dismounted, and placed it on the ground, piling a few pebbles on top of it to make sure the wind didn't blow it away. Then she climbed back up on Tramp. Patting his neck, she turned him around and began to ascend the ridge, following the Indian's trail.


	2. Chapter 2

Pain slowly brought Joe out of his unconscious state. He was bouncing, continuously bouncing, making the throbbing in his head become a steady pounding.

Joe tried to rub his eyes, but found that his hands were stuck together and couldn't move. He cracked an eye open so he could see what the problem was, and was shocked to discover that his hands were tied together and he was tossed sideways on the back of his horse.

_What on earth?_ Joe thought, _How did this happen?_ He struggled to remember, then abruptly narrowed his eyes. _Indians. But what's happened to Adam?_ He looked around frantically. Finally, he spotted his brother lying slumped across Sport's back, also tied up. Joe gasped when he noticed that Adam was severely injured and bleeding.

Unfortunately, his movement and noise caught the attention of one of the braves riding along. Scowling at Joe, he raised his rifle and slammed the butt of it into Joe's head, causing the fog to wrap around him once more and draw him deeper into darkness.

* * *

The sun was just beginning to lower itself behind the mountains when Samuel Carter found himself leaving Virginia City. He had been there even longer than he had expected and couldn't wait to pick up Rachel and get home, even though he had forgotten to get her hat.

Sam sighed. It had been just Rachel and he ever since his wife died seven years back. Before that, Rachel had been raised as a proper woman, but followed after her father when her mother was no longer around to give her an example. And it certainly improved her health quite a bit when she went on wild trips with her father. Her adventurous spirit had flared up and stayed with her constantly.

Deep in thought, Sam rounded the corner of some rocks- and was greeted by the sight of dead Indians laying sprawled on the ground. And beside them, just beginning to dismount, were Ben and Hoss Cartwright.

Sam rode to them and slid off his horse. "What on earth happened here?" he exclaimed.

"Just what we were asking." Ben said as he stooped down and examined one of the bodies. "Well, couldn't have happened too long ago; they've been lying here for an hour, at least."

Hoss frowned. "'Round 'bout the time that Adam and Little Joe should've been on their way home."

Sam turned very pale. "What?"

Ben sighed. "Adam came back from San Francisco today, and Joe was supposed to pick him up. When they didn't come home, Hoss and I came out lookin' for them." He pointed to the ground. "There's broken glass here. Must've been from the window pane Joe was supposed to get."

"Yeah. Pa, I'm sure they ran into Indian trouble." Hoss said grimly. Then he noticed Sam's paleness and shaking. "Sam, what's wrong?"

Fear constricted Sam's throat, making speech difficult. At this point, Ben looked up. "Sam?"

He swallowed a few times to get past the lump in his throat. "Rachel rode out to catch up with your boys to give them the money for Tramp." He choked.

Ben and Hoss stood still and quiet for a moment. Even the air was the same. "Oh, Sam, I'm so sorry." Ben murmured. "But I don't think they're dead. We haven't seen their bodies."

Sam fought back tears, nodding at Ben while Hoss walked a few paces away. "We've got to go after them. Right now. She's all I'be got left, Ben, all I've got left to live for!"

"Sam!" Hoss called suddenly, staring at something on the ground. "Look at this."

Sam was there in seconds. "What?"

Hoss handed him a piece of paper. "Rachel wrote it."

Sam's hands shook as he read the note that was etched on it in Rachel's flawless cursive:

_To whoever finds this note: please get help immediately! Adam and Joe Cartwright have been captured by Shoshone Indians. I am certain that they will not survive to see the morning. I am going after them, so please follow._

_-Rachel Mary Carter_

Numbly Sam handed Ben the note. Ben scanned it quickly, then straightened. "Fool girl! She'll get herself killed!"

"She won't." Sam said quietly, walking over to his horse and mounting it. "Cause we'll get there before she has the chance to."

Hoss and Ben immediately followed suit, mounting their horses. "The trail leads up Bulker's Ridge and into the woods, toward the mountain range." Hoss pointed. Sam didn't bother replying. He took off up the ridge with Ben and Hoss at his side.

They rode for a few minutes before suddenly noticing bits of paper along the ground, a bit scattered, but undoubtedly a clear pointer as to where the trail was. "Good sense, Rachel," all three men were thinking as they followed the trail of paper.

* * *

Rachel squinted through the thickening darkness, straining her eyes to see the faint trail of the horses. Her father had taught her to track, and she had gotten so good at it that she could track her father (who always tried to cover up his trail) at night.

A flicker of light against the dark silhouette of the mountain in front of her caught Rachel's attention. _Someone's starting a fire,_ she thought, _A big one._

Nervously twisting her knife in it's scabbard, she clucked her tongue at Tramp and charged forward. She took out her notebook, tore another page out, ripped it up, and dropped the shreds onto the ground behind her. She had been doing this continuously for the past couple hours, making a "bread crumb trail" to whomever would find her note and follow. _That person better hurry, _Rachel thought; _I'm almost out of paper!_

The sound of distant celebration coming from the Shoshone braves reached her ears, and she shivered as she pressed onwards. Her fingers found their way up to the locket around her neck, tucked under the shirt so that no one could see it. Inside was a picture of Rachel's mother, one of the only keepsakes she had of her. "Wish me luck, Mama," Rachel murmured, knowing that her mother was smiling at her and praying for her. That thought gave her comfort as she drew nearer to the Shoshones' camp.

* * *

Once again Joe fought to regain consciousness. It was much harder this time, and he nearly gave up on the effort after several tries. Nearby, whoops and yells resonated through the air. For one confused moment, Joe thought they were back at Bulker's Ridge. His eyes snapped open, only to reveal that the Indians were a few dozen yards away dancing around a bonfire, and he was tied securely to a tree. _They used wet rawhide!_ he grimaced as his wrists made him quite aware of the pain of the tightening bonds. He wiggled his hands and feet to get the blood circulating in them again, then tried to slip out of the ropes that were holding him to the tree.

A groan caused Joe to jerk his head to the side, and he instantly regretted the sudden movement as pain shot through his skull. _Bullet must've grazed the back of my head,_ he thought. Gritting his teeth, he tried to focus his eyes on the fuzzy shape of his brother a few feet away. "Adam!" Joe whispered loudly, "Adam, you have to wake up."

Adam let out another groan and continued to stir until he was awake enough to groggily open his eyes. "Joe?" He whispered, "What happened? Where are we?"

Joe looked around. "I'm not sure where we are. Somewhere in the north mountains, I'd say. And as for what happened... Indians. Remember now?" Adam nodded. "Good. Can you get out of those ropes?"

Adam struggled with his bonds for a few moments, then fell back against the tree, gasping. "No good. They're too tight." He glanced down at himself. "And I doubt I would be able to break free of them even if they weren't."

Joe looked at his brother and winced at the tears crisscrossing his shirt, sure by the amount of blood that there was some nasty cuts to go along with them.

Footsteps suddenly made themselves known as a Shoshone brave staggered out of the woods from the bonfire towards them. Joe realised that the Indians must've gotten into the few bottles of whiskey that he had been carrying in his saddle bags, because this brave certainly did look tipsy. The Indian had come all by himself, probably unbeknownst to the other redskins.

The brave stood for a moment staring at the two men, as if comparing or sizing them up. He seemed to make up his mind on whatever he was thinking, because he stumbled over to Adam, a knife in his hand. Joe felt his pulse quicken as the brave grabbed a fistfull of Adam's hair and jerked his head forward, placing the knife at the back of his neck.

"Adam!" Joe yelled, straining at his ropes. Adam struggled weakly, but to no avail.

Suddenly, twigs snapped nearby. The brave froze and looked over into the woods. Some brush rustled, and he lurched over to investigate.

Joe squinted to see past the brave, but a tugging on his ropes distracted him. He heard a faint _snap, _and his wrists were blissfully free. Something hard and cold was placed in his hand. "Get the Indian." a voice whispered. Joe twisted to see who his rescuer was, but the voice had already melted back into the dark.

With a quick slice, Joe's feet were free. He unsteadily scrambled up and over to the Indian, who was at that moment turning around. Shock was apparent on his face; he opened his mouth to yell, but before he could, Joe landed a neat punch to his jaw.

The brave, already being quite off balance, fell to the ground. He tried to get back up, bringing his own knife up, and received three punches and an uppercut for his effort. That was the last thing he remembered.

From Joe's right Adam called out, "Joe, behind you!"

Joe spun around in time to block a knife aiming towards his back. He grappled with the brave who had just tried to stick him. Their arms were interlocked with each other as they both twisted, struggling to throw the other off balance. They fought for a few moments, when a rock suddenly sailed from the cover of the trees, striking Joe's opponent in the head. He collapsed to the ground and didn't move again.

Joe picked up the fallen braves' knives and turned to Adam- only to find that his older brother was already untied and struggling to get up. "Adam!" Joe said, running over to him. "How did you get untied?"

A hushed voice answered his question. "Are you two alright?"

The two brothers turned to stare at the small figure emerging from the woods. Joe felt his jaw drop. "_Rachel?!_" He gaped, "What- How-"

"Time for questions later!" Rachel snapped shakily, "Let's just get out of here." She ran to them and helped Adam up. "Come on!" She insisted, "The other Indians had to have heard..."

Rachel's voice trailed off as five Indians appeared from the bushes with their knives.

"Oh, snap." Rachel breathed. Joe tossed her knife to her and handed one of his own to Adam. They went up back to back against each other as the braves circled them, hoping to provide some sort of defense (although the Cartwright brothers tried to protect Rachel as best as they could).

The braves charged.

* * *

Rachel dodged the first swipe that a rather short brave had dealt her and made a quick slash across his chest with her knife. The brave howled and tried to grab her arms, but Rachel dropped to the ground and kicked his knees as hard as she could. She heard two loud _cracks_, and the brave screamed and collapsed. Rachel scrambled to her feet and saw that Joe had already downed his Indian and was helping Adam finish off his. Then they flanked Rachel to protect her from the remaining braves.

There were two of them, inching closer to the trio. One raised his arm to throw his knife, when suddenly a shot rang out. The brave dropped his weapon and clutched his arm, letting out a grunt of pain.

"Drop your knife!" A deep voice called out to the last brave. Everyone turned to see who had spoken. It was Ben Cartwright with Sam Carter and Hoss. They all had their guns out of their holsters. "Drop it!" Ben repeated. The Indian discarded his blade.

Sam immediately rushed to his daughter, sweeping her up in his arms and spinning her around, tears streaming down his face. "I love you, Rae," Sam whispered over and over in her ear. "I love you so much!"

Rachel hugged him fiercely. "I love you too, Pa."

Meanwhile, Ben and Hoss ran to their family, checking them over all while keeping an eye on the surviving braves. "You boys alright?" Ben asked, concerned.

"We're fine, Pa." Adam smiled tiredly, wincing a bit as he moved.

"Bad way to welcome you home, Adam." Hoss grinned, relieved to have his brothers back alive but still worried about their conditions.

"Well, I'm just glad to be here." Joe said, "And without Rachel, this would the sorriest welcome home celebration I've ever seen."

The Cartwrights looked over to where Sam was still holding Rachel a foot off the ground. They waited patiently until Sam loosened his hold on the girl and the two walked over, hand in hand. "I 'spose we should take care of this bunch," Rachel said, jerking a thumb in the direction of the braves.

"Yeah, let's round 'em up." Joe said.

They brought the Indians back to the bonfire. "It's too dark to leave tonight," Ben said. So they tied the braves to some trees. Then Rachel retrieved her horse and they all unsaddled their steeds, spreading out their blankets and settling down on the grass. Adam's and Joe's wounds were tended to, and they all enjoyed a small dinner of jerky that Hoss had brought.

"So," Hoss asked, "What happened to you and Joe, Adam?"

Adam shifted on his bedroll, trying to get in a more comfortable position where he couldn't feel his injuries as much. "We were on our way home when Indians bushwhacked us at Bulker's Ridge. We tried to fight, but they outnumbered us."

Joe nodded. "They knocked us out. The next thing I knew I was tied to a tree next to Adam." He turned to Rachel. "You tell the rest."

Rachel swallowed her jerky. "Well, I had ridden after you two to give you the money for Tramp. I got to the ridge in time to see the Indians cart you off. I waited for a few minutes, then decided that I needed to go after you. I left a note to whoever would pass by that way."

"And we found it." Sam said.

Rachel smiled. "And I suppose you followed my trail of note book paper?"

Sam nodded and grinned. "Smart girl."

Rachel turned to Adam and Joe to explain. "While I was tracking the Indians I tore up some paper to use as a clearer trail for whoever might follow." She said. "So anyways, I arrived at this camp in time to see a brave try to scalp Adam. I rustled some bushes and snapped a few twigs to distract him while I cut Joe free and gave him my knife. Then, while Joe was fighting some Indians, I freed Adam and threw a rock at one of the braves."

"Then we fought off five more Indians." Joe finished.

"Thanks for coming after us, Rachel." Adam said. "It was stupid and dangerous, but it was brave and you saved our lives."

"Here, here!" The rest of the Cartwrights chimed in.

Sam smiled. "I'm just glad to have you back alive, Rae. But don't you ever go off by yourself again to rescue a couple of boys who know better than to have to have a girl come and get them out of trouble!" Joe and Adam exchanged glances. "I don't know what I would have done if I had lost you." Sam continued, his voice catching at the end.

"I'm sorry I scared you, Pa." Rachel apologized, snickering at the thought of the Cartwright boys needing a girl to get them out of a jam. "But you've always told me to help out a friend in need, and I was pretty sure that Adam and Joe fitted that description."

Laughter filled the woods as they continued to compare stories. Soon all of them - with the exception of Hoss, who took the first watch to guard their prisoners - fell into an exhausted sleep.

The next morning, the two families traveled back to Virginia City, dropped off the Indians at the jailhouse, officially had Joe and Adam checked over by Doc Martin, then went to their homes. Rachel completely forgot about the horse money. Again.

* * *

Rachel resisted the urge to open her eyes and peek. Joe was leading her from the Cartwright's house into the front yard "for a surprise" they had said.

Ben had invited the Carters over for dinner that night. Their little adventure had been over a week ago, and Joe and Adam had pretty much fully recovered. That night, they had finished eating and were chatting when Adam had said that there was something he needed to do in the barn, and he and Hoss excused themselves from the table. About ten minutes later, Ben had smiled at Rachel and said they had a surprise for her. One look at her father told her that he was in on it, too. Joe had told Rachel to close her eyes, and had taken her by the arm, leading her outside.

Rachel could hear her pa and Mr. Cartwright walking in front of her. She could barely hold in her excitement as Joe grabbed her shoulders to stop her. "OK, open your eyes!" He said.

Rachel's eyes flew open, relieved that they didn't have to wait any longer. In the yard stood Tramp, all brushed and shiny with his saddle and all his other equipment on. Holding his reins was a smiling Adam, and next to him was Hoss with the same grin.

With a puzzled look on her face, Rachel walked forward. "Huh?" she said, "I don't get it."

"Take a look in the saddlebag." Adam said with one of his lopsided grins.

Rachel scanned his face for some sort of clue, but gave up with a curious smile. She walked around Tramp, patting him as she threw open the saddle bag. Inside was a cream colored hat with a thin green bow wrapped around its brim. Rachel gasped as she pulled it out. It was the hat she'd been begging her father to get for months. She fingered the green bow, noticing that it matched the color of her eyes when she was excited.

"Oh, thank you!" She cried, turning so she could see their smiling faces.

"Look at the inside, Rae." Sam said.

Rachel gazed down at the inside of the hat. Written in gold cursive were the words _From Your Friends, The Cartwrights_. She smiled. "Wow, thanks! This means so much to me." Then she frowned. "Hang on a minute, why did you go through all the trouble of saddling Tramp just to give me a hat?"

"Well," began Ben, "Tramp is a very special horse…"

"And he belongs to a very special young lady…" Joe winked at her.

"So we figured, since the special young lady saved some of the Cartwright clan..." Hoss smiled.

"We'd give the very special horse to the very special young lady for a very special price of absolutely nothing." Adam finished with a dimpled grin.

Rachel's jaw dropped. She looked at each beaming face, and felt tears well up in her eyes. "Oh, thank you," She whispered, a smile lighting up her face. "This is so amazing! I can't even tell you how grateful I am!" So built up on excitement, she gave everyone a huge hug.

"Now, Rachel," Ben smiled after hugging her, "How would you like to go riding with us this evening on your new horse?"

"I'd love to!" Rachel's eyes twinkled. Placing her new hat on her head, she crossed back over to Tramp and accepted Adam's hand to help her on her horse. Absently she patted the pocket in her vest where what was left of her notebook sat. She was now ready for another adventure. Sam and the rest of the Cartwrights went into the barn and brought out their own already saddled horses. Once they were in the saddle, they all took off across the Ponderosa.


End file.
